The poor relationship between ALS and LAB is well known. In April, LAB coordinator Garbiñe Aranburu and Igor Arroyo undertook to talk about these relationships – ELA’s prepower, manipulation and irresponsibility – and this month, in the monthly newsletter of ELA Alda, they have written of them Amaia Muñoa, attached to the Secretary General, and Pello Igeregi, also responsible for Negotiation.

The senior ALS officials have historically affirmed that the relations between the two unions are not tender, and less so at the time of ETA, but they do specify that they have always had moments of collaboration, such as the struggle of 35 hours, the Social Forum, the six crises strikes of 2008, labor deaths, the Basque environment or the Catalan consultation.

However, in recent times, they believe that the strategic discrepancy between the two unions is being reinforced, which is based on three main reasons: collective bargaining, the return of LAB to institutional participation bodies and trade union autonomy.

LAB, CCOO and UGT

In collective bargaining, reference is made to LAB agreements with CCOO and UGT in recent times, for example in the Metal Agreement in Araba and Gipuzkoa, or in Graphic Arts in Gipuzkoa. Both Muñoa and Igeregi determine that there are many of these, and the main consequence is that they benefit the employers because they obtain cheaper agreements with LAB, CCOO and UGT and, in short, because lower work agreements are signed.

Institutional participation

The second major discrepancy concerns institutional participation. LAB has decided that they will return to these areas this year. ELA says that ELA and LAB decided to leave this space ten years ago, because these tables have no content and are tailored to entrepreneurs and governments. For Igeregi and Muñoa, this is related to the current institutional moderation of EH Bildu, which also affects LAB. In this new strategy, they say, the Basque trade union majority is no longer a priority.

Union autonomy

In essence, that would be the fundamental reason for ELA to position itself in favour of the two unions. ELA considers that the way of understanding union autonomy allows a counter without limits: without autonomy there is no counter-control. And when they talk about autonomy, basically ALS refers to LAB relationships with EH Bildu.